Korinaphobia

"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." 

H. P. Lovecraft

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- A prejudice against homosexuals is called homophobia.

The word is a blend of the word homosexual, a mix of neo-classical morphemes, and phobia, which derives from the Greek word Phobos, meaning "fear" or "morbid fear". 

Thus fear of heights is called acrophobia; fear of spider, arachnophobia; fear of wild animals agrizoophobia; fear of darkness, achluophobia.

Fear of pain, agliophobia; fear of fire, arsonphobia; fear of floods,antlophobia; fear of flying, aviatophobia; fear of imperfection,atelophobia, and so on and so forth.

Some Filipinos fear that if Mar Roxas will be elected as next president of the Philippines in 2016, his wife, Korina Sanchez "could be the next or even worse than Imelda Marcos."

VOTE

Because of their disdain for Korina, they won't vote for the Liberal Party's standard bearer; not because Roxas is incompetent, corrupt or a dictator, but because he is the husband of Korina, period.

In other words, Roxas, one of the most qualified presidential wanna-bes, could lose some votes or kiss his presidential ambition goodbye because of Korinaphobia.

Is it a fear of the unknown? A misplaced fear? A prejudice view from Korina bashers?

How and where did the "fear of Korina Sanchez" originate?

Aside from the negative allusions to her past and private pecadillos, critics think she had a misfortune of carrying a mestiza face that radiates a contrabida aura.

Of course it's not her fault why she was born a mestiza. 

Her fault is that, by a stroke of luck, she could be the next first lady; and her detractors dread the day seeing her becoming an Evita Peron and, oh yes, Imeldific!  Marie Antoinette? Lady Chatterley?

HISTORY

If we look back at history, Filipinos, who struggled to regain their cultural heritage and identity against abusive foreign colonizers, have always had misgivings with mestizas or "maldita"-looking women and viewed them as symbols of arrogance, oppression, squander and profligacy.

Thus they look down at them with utmost contempt and insolence.

This also explains why the likes of native-skinned, Nora Aunor, and "morena" beauty, Alma Moreno, are penciled-in for any elective position, aside from their staggering popularity in the soap opera showbiz world.

Would Mar Roxas be elected president overwhelmingly if his wife were Nora Aunor?